Skincare Faves

I’ll start off by saying that I’m able to try out a lot of skincare and other beauty products due to the nature of the job I work in. It also helps that I’m not exactly loyal to any specific product or brand, so I’m always open to trying anything out.

However, over time I have found the odd product that I’ve enjoyed enough to actually consider buying again! Here are a few of those that I’ve found work well for my combination skin.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish with Cloth Cleanser (find it here)

This was something that I was advised to try out by some of the people I work with. It was also the first luxury product that I’d actually tried out (as someone who doesn’t like spending money I never wanted to risk it for something I didn’t think would work). Yet it has now become something I use quite often and repeatedly buy.

• What is it meant to do? It’s meant to smooth, cleanse and moisturise the skin (according to their site)
• What do I think? Firstly, it smells absolutely amazing! It’s very relaxing and makes me feel like I’m treating myself. The actual texture is smooth and creamy, definitely giving you what it says. My face does indeed feel smooth and clean after I’ve used it.

Givenchy Hydra Sparkling Moisturising Cream (find it here)

Now, this is definitely the most luxurious thing that I own, in terms of skincare. I’ll probably never buy it again as it’s so expensive, but my god does it feel so good to use!

• What does it do? According to their site, it’s a “velvety soft cream for exceptional hydration”. Basically, it’s a moisturiser.
• What do I think? Of all the moisturisers I’ve used this is my favourite. It feels really light on the skin and smells great. At first, it does feel like it’ll be oily, but melts into the skin fairly quickly and leaves my fave feeling hydrated (so the description doesn’t lie!)

Nip+Fab Charcoal + Mandelic Fix Cleansing Pads (find it here)

This is a recent addition to my routine and recommended to me by a friend. I already had an idea it would work as I’ve found charcoal and witch hazel work great to keep my forehead from getting oily. However, I did have my reservations about it being weird thin pads rather than a cream/mask of sorts.

• What does it do? The website says that the pads "actively cleanse and refine the pores without over-drying the complexion". They're also used for oil control.
• What did I think? I've only been using these for the past couple of days, and I'm currently still trying to get over the scent (witch hazel always smells a bit weird to me). Ignoring the scent though, they do the job really well; my forehead (which usually gets oily super quickly) remains oil-free for most of the work-day. I'm yet to notice if my pores have been minimised, but I'm sure I'll look eventually.

Dolce & Gabbana The One Grey (find it here)

For me, I can never go about my day without wearing a fragrance, a habit I've definitely picked up from working in the industry for so long. Much like how I am with skincare, I have no major allegiances to a particular brand of fragrance, the most I know is that I really enjoy lighter scents that I can constantly re-apply throughout the day. This is where this particular D&G fragrance has come in handy.

I've always had a love for their signature scent, The One for Men, yet when I tried this new iteration out I found myself becoming accustomed to the lighter scent much quicker.

• What does it smell like? "An unexpected Eau de Toilette Intense, a surprising fusion of opposites, grounding aromatic cardamom with earthy vetiver" (don't you just love how over the top fragrance descriptions are?)
• What did I think? As I said above, I found myself really enjoying this fragrance. Not going to lie, didn't realise it was meant to be an intense EDT, I guess it does smell strong at first (definitely the cardamom coming through), but it fades very quickly, which I don't mind as I enjoy spraying it constantly.